Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that kept flying

Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by nradov on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @01:32AM (#42113305)

It's a little too late for that. The JSF program probably should have been cancelled or completely restructured circa 1996. But now there's no remaining alternative. The inventory of legacy AV-8, F-16, and A-10 aircraft are going to be retired no matter what because they're literally falling apart and it's impossible to keep extending their service lives.

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Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by gm3dmo on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @03:56AM (#42113871)

> and it's impossible to keep extending their service lives.

B52 projected to last till 2050

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Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by aceofspades19 on Tuesday November 12, 2024 @09:03AM (#42115527)

B-52s aren't subject to the same stress as fighter aircraft are, that's why they are able to keep flying for so long (among other reasons).

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Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by datavirtue on Thursday November 14, 2024 @01:47PM (#42139667)

You can build five F-18s for the price of one F-35.

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Re:Marine pilot loses command after ejecting from F-35B that... by nradov on Thursday November 14, 2024 @07:34PM (#42142850)

Wrong. The current unit cost for an F-35B is about $109M while an F/A-18E/F is about $55M. That's a difference of 2×, not 5×. And more importantly, the F/A-18 can't operate from amphibious ships to support Marine Corps ground forces. If it can't accomplish the required mission then the cost is moot.

https://breakingdefense.com/2023/10/newest-f-35-f-15ex-contr...

It's disappointing to see people post lazy, low-effort comments like this without bothering to do even basic fact checking.

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